View Full Version : Blackberry's, PDAs, and other devices of the Devil
Smooth03
02-28-2005, 11:15
Okay...I'm not trying to start a "there is no place for technology in the woods" debate here so pleeeeeeease no arguments.
This coming summer I will be hiking the Colorado Trail in order to raise money for a nature center. One of the ways I will be doing so is to have a web blog that is updated daily(or as frequently as possible). Because the trail will only take 5-6 weeks it is not really practical to use snail mail and have someone upload letters online.
Any one have any experience using PDAs on the trail? I know nothing about PDAs in the real world let alone in the middle of the woods so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me personally.
Smooth
[email protected]
hikerjohnd
02-28-2005, 11:29
While I found my iPaq difficult to use and hard to keep charged, my wife (a techno novice) has a Blackberry. I assumed I would have to learn to use it to teach her - but she has taken to it like a duck to water. I still don't know how it works - but she types and surfs the net on that tiny thing all the time! It seems to be very user friendly - she even says if she can use it, anybody can!
The Weasel
02-28-2005, 12:10
Leaving aside the 'keep the toys at home' aspect, a few thoughts:
1) Even the best PDAs need to be recharged. That's a timeconsuming thing.
2) Even with a folding keyboard, they're not made for long messages, and the weight will be a question in your mind.
3) Transmission depends on getting cell coverage. That's hardly a sure thing, and may be impossible.
If you're assuming you will stop at a store or town every few days, consider writing the messages out each day, and faxing or emailing them (public libraries are free and easy) when you get to a town. Many people have friends who will type into blogs for people.
The Weasel
Blackberrys and most of the modern PDAs have built in rechargable batteries. I would skip these because keeping power would be a royal pain. If you are going to take something, bring a device which uses replaceable batteries. Don't bother with a device which has built in wireless... coverage is going to suck. The best options (because it's easy to use from pay phones and has an almost touch-typable keyboard) is one of the PocketMail devices. Second best would be one of the older Palm PDAs which can be fitted with a small/light keyboard (but you need phone line that you can jack into to use the modem... payphone aren't typically an option.
[QUOTE=Smooth03]Okay...I'm not trying to start a "there is no place for technology in the woods" debate here so pleeeeeeease no arguments.
This coming summer I will be hiking the Colorado Trail in order to raise money for a nature center. One of the ways I will be doing so is to have a web blog that is updated daily(or as frequently as possible). Because the trail will only take 5-6 weeks .....blah, blah, blah,.........Any one have any experience using PDAs on the trail? Smooth QUOTE]
Love your title for this FORUM!
if you MUST carry one of those "DEVIL-TOOLS"...the PDA needs recharging.....mucho times....think GREEN...buy a solar recharger! :D
(under 1 lb & can always be re-chargin' while u be hikin'!)
TankHiker
02-28-2005, 12:56
I am not sure exactly how these "devil-products" work. But don't you need a signal, as you would for a cell-phone? You'll probably have some problem with that on the Colorado Trail (especially the southern half).
I looked into it for my upcoming hike, and decided that Pocketmail is still the best option (in my opinion, anyway). You can update every time you find a pay phone.
-Tank
Lucy Lulu
02-28-2005, 13:26
I'll stick my neck out here (ducking quickly). I have a Blackberry. I have taken it hiking on the AT, but only turn it on at night in my tent, or when journaling alone. It saves the entries, and sends them automatically if it has a signal at night or when near a town if it is on. I'm not certain of CO reception, but AT reception has been suprisingly good. Not sure if increased reception is such a good thing since better reception probably equals more towers.
I was going to call these "positives", but that is far too general, and I don't feel like being battered, so I'll just refer to them as "device specific pluses."
Half the weight of the Pocketmail
I've had the battery last 7-8 days when turning it off if not in use.
Easy to use.
Cell phone reception good, although I don't use it much, so I'm not a good judge of reception.
Good storage capacity for all names, addresses, numbers, etc.
I'll be doing a thru this year, so I'll see how it holds up.
Mayfly
I was happy with my Pocketmail. It weighs 8 ounces. It requires a telephone to send and receive messages. It uses ordinary AA batteries that last about a month if you do not use the backlit screen (i.e. type in the dark) too much.
hopefulhiker
03-01-2005, 19:55
Apple has a new solar recharger for it's ipod. Not sure if it will do PDA's It's $100 at soleus.com. It's light weight though and can plug in like a regular charger too.
saimyoji
03-01-2005, 20:39
Unless you take a satelite phone system, it seems that you'll need cell reception to upload regardless of what device you take (unless you wanna just connect via land line, but you did say daily...). Why not get an el-cheapo cell phone with text messaging capability? You can text email a friend/colleague who could update the web site for you. You may even be able to find someone on this site who could handle that end. This would save you weight (I'm guessing cell phones are mostly lighter than PDAs), money (cell phones are cheaper, sometimes free with service), recharging concerns (most phones last a long time when only turned on for use-my phone operates for seven days on standby, so turning it on only to check for service/send messages I imagine it would last your entire trip).
The only other helpful advice I could give would be to say check out the service area maps that each cell company publishes. This would help you determine which service to ultimately go with. I believe you can find them at the corporate web sites.
Good luck. :)
PS: Another idea would be to use an FM transmitter. You could transmit over a predetermined frequency, someone could monitor and transcribe. I'm guessing the cell phone would be easier, but this may be cheaper. You can buy FM transmitters anywhere (Walmart, HomeDepot, RadioShack, BestBuy, online...)
saimyoji
03-06-2005, 19:15
Smooth3, did you decide? What are you leaning towards?
As my fellow Coloradoan Tank Hiker has suggested, cell phone coverage may be spotty at best once you are out of the Denver metro area. Southern Colorado will esp. be problematic.
Have you thought of pocketmail? Works with payphones even. I assume you are re-supply ~5 days. Will that be enough?
If not, then your only substitute for daily updates would be a satellite phone, which can be expensive.
Smooth03
03-07-2005, 12:38
Smooth3, did you decide? What are you leaning towards?
Well....the environmental organization is presenting their pitch to Verizon to seek out donated service and a Blackberry next week. So we'll see.
I realize service will be spotty, heck I'm in NYC now and service can be spotty but my hope is that I would receive some service every 3-4 days. With going in to town every 6-7 days I hope that the cities would have sevice there as well.
The Pocketmail would be a decent alternative. Thanks for all the help and insight.
vipahman
02-16-2006, 19:41
Any one have any experience using PDAs on the trail?
Ah yes, those mobile devices that are deadweight once the batteries are discharged. Mobile devices nowadays have so many functions that they lose the primary focus of being mobile.
That said, one suggestion is the Palm VII. This old Palm (out of production) used to have it's own service. I don't know how wide a service map it had, but what I do know is that it used AAA batteries and had internet on it. So all you needed to do was carry spare AAAs. You can probably get them on Ebay but I doubt service would be available on the trail.
Kerosene
02-17-2006, 10:13
One of the nice features of the Blackberry is that you don't have to find a phone or even determine if there's a signal. If the device is on it will periodically keep trying to send/receive e-mail without your intervention. Since it's only sending text messages, it doesn't need much time to ship them out once a signal is obtained. Plus, the signal doesn't need to be strong, since the device will keep re-sending a message until it is successfully sent.
If you're not using the Blackberry as a cell phone then I'd estimate that the battery for the older style, blue devices (not the Treo) to last for 60 hours or more. That could translate to several weeks if you only turn it on to type in an e-mail and keep it on when you're in the vicinity of a town or major highway.
Plus, you can type quite a bit with your thumbs...certainly enough to keep your trail journal up to date.
TN_Hiker
02-17-2006, 11:19
Of course, using Blackberry your assuming the feds are not going to shut them down for copyright infringement. That federal hearing takes place later this month. I don't think it is likely, but it does have the IT community abuzz.
timhines
02-17-2006, 12:02
my only advice is to turn it off when not in use. A cell phone (or blackberry) consumes more battery juice if it's searching for a signal.
Not everyone believes this, but I maintain 50 cell phones for my company and I know it's a fact here.
I've got a Blackberry, which I bought specifically for using on my upcoming thru-hike. It has not passed the preliminary tests on the southern AT, however. First, Nextel/Sprint has a lousy network down here in rural areas. Second, the battery life is pretty feeble. If it gets left on by accident (and that can happen by accidently hitting any button, which aborts the shut-down--and it's easy to accidently hit a button when you're operating in a dark tent at night), it quickly exhausts its battery searching for a signal, and it's dead in the morning. My Blackberry is going bye-bye before the Big Hike.
vipahman
02-17-2006, 13:45
Sprint is mainly an interstate and metro network. It's lousy on the trail. As to battery life, whatever you use you would have to turn it off after use. Digital signal consumes less than analog signal which consumes less than searching for a signal.
my only advice is to turn it off when not in use. A cell phone (or blackberry) consumes more battery juice if it's searching for a signal.
Not everyone believes this, but I maintain 50 cell phones for my company and I know it's a fact here.
To get even more life out of the battery, it is pretty easy to turn off the network connection while you are typing and enable it when you are ready to send. The newer devices with Blue Tooth drain the battery even faster - turn off Blue Tooth whenever you are not using it to extend the battery and when you are on the trail don't use Blue Tooth at all.
I've got a Blackberry, which I bought specifically for using on my upcoming thru-hike. It has not passed the preliminary tests on the southern AT, however. First, Nextel/Sprint has a lousy network down here in rural areas. Second, the battery life is pretty feeble. If it gets left on by accident (and that can happen by accidently hitting any button, which aborts the shut-down--and it's easy to accidently hit a button when you're operating in a dark tent at night), it quickly exhausts its battery searching for a signal, and it's dead in the morning. My Blackberry is going bye-bye before the Big Hike.
Verizon has the best network. Have you considered their Blackberry?
I had not considered Blackberry for journaling before, but there are some advantages over pocketmail. Finding a phone line is no fun. Even if you don't find a signal everyday for your Blackberry, it can hold the message until you do just like pocketmail. As has been said previously, only turn it on when you are using it and protect the on button from accidentally turning it on. Turn off the network icon until you are ready to send or think you are in likely location to pick up a signal. And if you don't pick up a signal for a couple days, it is not the end of the world. This seems easier than searching for and/or yogiing a land line for pocketmail. Spare batteries are easy to come by and are fairly light. Bounce the charger and an extra battery or two and you are all set to go.
irritable_badger
02-17-2006, 17:22
Of course, using Blackberry your assuming the feds are not going to shut them down for copyright infringement. That federal hearing takes place later this month. I don't think it is likely, but it does have the IT community abuzz.
While the copyright lawsuit against RIM (the people that produce the BlackBerry) will probably result in major changes for users it is unlikely that it will take place anytime soon. If they rule against RIM next month it will take at least two to three months to inact any change and this assumes there will be no appeals. There are a few other appeals RIM is planning to use so I would not let the upcoming suit alone effect your decision.
While the lawsuit is not a huge deal right now, the trail-worthiness of the BlackBerry concerns me. I have been a BlackBerry user since their inception and I have gone through about two dozen units; in an office environment. I'll admit I'm hard on hardware but I don't think they will last long on the Trail unless you baby it the entire time, which won't be any fun. On the plus side, they are easy to use and will transmit your messages as soon as they receive a signal, you won't have to do anything but walk along with it in your pack and it takes care of everything else.